Sports Videogame Student Enticements Banned

Thanks to the Miami Herald for their article discussing the banning a Florida school's plans to use sports-based videogames as a motivator for students taking physical education. According to the piece: "Fort Walton Beach High School wanted to use a PlayStation as part of a team sports course in the next school year as a way of motivating more students to take physical education", but "Superintendent Don Gaetz halted registration for the course Tuesday, calling it 'an idea whose time will never come.'" In a situation which sees "obesity rising among teens and that more than half of the state's high school students not participating in any physical activity at school last year", could attracting students with videogames actually be a valid approach?

Comments

I question the necessity of PE altogether

[ObviousGuy]

What is the purpose of PE except to separate the strong and physically endowed from the weak and genetically shortchanged?

While exercise is an important activity, should the schools be in the business of providing instruction in exercise? Even if so, should it be a requirement and should it be graded? A student with palsy will always fail through no fault of his own.

In the end, PE provides no preparation for life which other classes at least provide a semblence of. There is nothing that PE provides that cannot be acquired via after-school activities. There is no "how many situps can you do in one minute" tests for any job that one would reasonably encounter in the private sector.

PE has outlived its purpose and should be done away with. If the result is a generation of obese kids, then so be it.

bmtss bmtss bmtss

[0x20]

could attracting students with videogames actually be a valid approach?

Sure, if they're teaching Dance Dance Revolution.

*pictures my 300-pound high school gym coach playing DDR, in slow motion

On second thought, I don't think it'll work.

My school actually does let you play DDR

[redfiveneo]

At my high school, they let anyone bring a PS1/2, a copy of DDR, and one of the dance mats- and they'll let you hook it up to one of the TVs used for the exercise vids.

With the bringing of so much expensive equipment (namely the Playstation) there were some concerns about theft, but it's a small school, and there haven't been any problems yet, except people try to bribe others into using their Playstations :).

It seems to work well and encourage those who don't like "conventional" work-outs. But the sports video games... eh, I don't think playing Madden will encourage anyone to acutally play football.